So now they’re here. The 2019 iPhones were announced to great fanfare, along with a great new Apple Watch and a refreshed entry-level iPad. But what reason is there to upgrade? Ultimately, that’s something everyone has to decide for themselves, but here’s my advice. If you’re excited about the outstanding new cameras, or have an ageing iPhone, now’s the time to invest in a new model. If you already have a recent iPhone and are perfectly satisfied with its photographic capabilities, stick with it for a little longer.
The Series 5 sees the Apple Watch finally come of age. Over time, great exercise and emergency features have been added, such as waterproofing for swimming, a heart rate monitor and fall alert. But it’s the always-on Retina display that puts the final cherry on the top of the cake, and then lets you work out to burn off the calories. Now, when you’re jogging, swimming, training or generally exercising, you don’t have to lift your wrist or tap the screen to see how you’re doing. The information is always displayed. Find out about the new iPhones, Apple Watch and a few other interesting Apple announcements in our cover feature starting on Page 16.
One thing that didn’t exactly fill us with joy is the cross-channel pricing. The figures for the dollar price and pound price have been creeping closer together for a while now, but with the Apple Watch Series 5 they finally meet and the new iPhone UK prices actually overtake the dollar figures. It’s likely to be due to the weak state of the pound rather than greed on Apple’s part, but whatever’s caused it, it’s definitely annoying.
Elsewhere this issue, we take a look at some of the best gadgets and gizmos available for Apple gear, including a round-up of the first cases to be released for the 11-series iPhones. Over in our tutorials section, we bring you some of the best new features of Apple’s 2019 operating systems; macOS: Catalina, iOS 13 and the new iPadOS. It’s all in Essential AppleUser Magazine!